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          <section id="configuring-interfaces">
<span id="interfaces-main"></span><h1>Configuring Interfaces<a class="headerlink" href="#configuring-interfaces" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h1>
<p>Reticulum supports using many kinds of devices as networking interfaces, and
allows you to mix and match them in any way you choose. The number of distinct
network topologies you can create with Reticulum is more or less endless, but
common to them all is that you will need to define one or more <em>interfaces</em>
for Reticulum to use.</p>
<p>The following sections describe the interfaces currently available in Reticulum,
and gives example configurations for the respective interface types.</p>
<p>For a high-level overview of how networks can be formed over different interface
types, have a look at the <a class="reference internal" href="networks.html#networks-main"><span class="std std-ref">Building Networks</span></a> chapter of this
manual.</p>
<section id="custom-interfaces">
<span id="interfaces-custom"></span><h2>Custom Interfaces<a class="headerlink" href="#custom-interfaces" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>In addition to the built-in interface types, Reticulum is <strong>fully extensible</strong> with
custom, user- or community-supplied interfaces, and creating custom interface
modules is straightforward. Please see the <a class="reference internal" href="examples.html#example-custominterface"><span class="std std-ref">custom interface</span></a>
example for basic interface code to build upon.</p>
</section>
<section id="auto-interface">
<span id="interfaces-auto"></span><h2>Auto Interface<a class="headerlink" href="#auto-interface" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">AutoInterface</span></code> enables communication with other discoverable Reticulum
nodes over any kind of local Ethernet or WiFi-based medium. Even though it uses IPv6 for peer
discovery, and UDP for packet transport, it <strong>does not</strong> need any functional IP
infrastructure like routers or DHCP servers, on your physical network.</p>
<div class="admonition warning">
<p class="admonition-title">Warning</p>
<p>If you have <strong>firewall</strong> software running on your computer, it may block traffic
required for <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">AutoInterface</span></code> to work. If this is the case, you will have to
allow UDP traffic on port <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">29716</span></code> and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">42671</span></code>.</p>
</div>
<p>As long as there is at least some sort of switching medium present between peers (a
wired switch, a hub, a WiFi access point or similar, or simply two devices connected
directly by Ethernet cable), it will work without any configuration, setup or intermediary devices.</p>
<p>For <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">AutoInterface</span></code> peer discovery to work, it’s also required that link-local
IPv6 support is available on your system, which it should be by default in all
current operating systems, both desktop and mobile.</p>
<div class="admonition note">
<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
<p>Almost all current Ethernet and WiFi hardware will work without any kind
of configuration or setup with <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">AutoInterface</span></code>, but a small subset of
devices turn on options that limit device-to-device communication by default,
resulting in <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">AutoInterface</span></code> peer discovery being blocked. This issue is
most commonly seen on very cheap, ISP-supplied WiFi routers, and can sometimes
be turned off in the router configuration.</p>
</div>
<div class="highlight-ini notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># This example demonstrates a bare-minimum setup</span>
<span class="c1"># of an Auto Interface. It will allow communica-</span>
<span class="c1"># tion with all other reachable devices on all</span>
<span class="c1"># usable physical ethernet-based devices that</span>
<span class="c1"># are available on the system.</span>
<span class="k">[[Default Interface]]</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">type</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">AutoInterface</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>

<span class="c1"># This example demonstrates an more specifically</span>
<span class="c1"># configured Auto Interface, that only uses spe-</span>
<span class="c1"># cific physical interfaces, and has a number of</span>
<span class="c1"># other configuration options set.</span>
<span class="k">[[Default Interface]]</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">type</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">AutoInterface</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># You can create multiple isolated Reticulum</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># networks on the same physical LAN by</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># specifying different Group IDs.</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">group_id</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">reticulum</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># You can also choose the multicast address type:</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># temporary (default, Temporary Multicast Address)</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># or permanent (Permanent Multicast Address)</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">multicast_address_type</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">permanent</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># You can also select specifically which</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># kernel networking devices to use.</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">devices</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">wlan0,eth1</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Or let AutoInterface use all suitable</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># devices except for a list of ignored ones.</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">ignored_devices</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">tun0,eth0</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>If you are connected to the Internet with IPv6, and your provider will route
IPv6 multicast, you can potentially configure the Auto Interface to globally
autodiscover other Reticulum nodes within your selected Group ID. You can specify
the discovery scope by setting it to one of <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">link</span></code>, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">admin</span></code>, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">site</span></code>,
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">organisation</span></code> or <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">global</span></code>.</p>
<div class="highlight-ini notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="k">[[Default Interface]]</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">type</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">AutoInterface</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Configure global discovery</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">group_id</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">custom_network_name</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">discovery_scope</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">global</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Other configuration options</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">discovery_port</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">48555</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">data_port</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">49555</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
</section>
<section id="backbone-interface">
<span id="interfaces-backbone"></span><h2>Backbone Interface<a class="headerlink" href="#backbone-interface" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>The Backbone interface is a very fast and resource efficient interface type, primarily
intended for interconnecting Reticulum instances over many different types of mediums.
It uses a kernel-event I/O backend, and can handle thousands of interfaces and/or clients
with relatively low system resource utilisation. <strong>This interface type is currently only
supported on Linux and Android</strong>.</p>
<div class="admonition note">
<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
<p>The Backbone Interface is fully compatible with the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">TCPServerInterface</span></code> and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">TCPClientInterface</span></code>
types, and they can be used interchangably, and cross-connect with each other. On systems that support
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">BackboneInterface</span></code>, it is generally recommended to use it, unless you need specific options or
features that the TCP server and client interfaces provide.</p>
</div>
<p>While the goal is to support <em>all</em> socket types and I/O devices provided by the underlying
operating system, the initial release only provides support for TCP connections over IPv4
and IPv6.</p>
<p>For all types of connections over a <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">BackboneInterface</span></code>, Reticulum will gracefully
handle intermittency, link loss, and connections that come and go.</p>
<section id="listeners">
<h3>Listeners<a class="headerlink" href="#listeners" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
<p>The following examples illustrates various ways to set up <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">BackboneInterface</span></code> listeners.</p>
<div class="highlight-ini notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># This example demonstrates a backbone interface</span>
<span class="c1"># that listens for incoming connections on the</span>
<span class="c1"># specified IP address and port number.</span>
<span class="k">[[Backbone Listener]]</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">type</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">BackboneInterface</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">listen_on</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">0.0.0.0</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">port</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">4242</span>

<span class="c1"># Alternatively you can bind to a specific IP</span>
<span class="k">[[Backbone Listener]]</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">type</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">BackboneInterface</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">listen_on</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">10.0.0.88</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">port</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">4242</span>

<span class="c1"># Or a specific network device</span>
<span class="k">[[Backbone Listener]]</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">type</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">BackboneInterface</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">device</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">eth0</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">port</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">4242</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>If you are using the interface on a device which has both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses available,
you can use the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">prefer_ipv6</span></code> option to bind to the IPv6 address:</p>
<div class="highlight-ini notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># This example demonstrates a backbone interface</span>
<span class="c1"># listening on the IPv6 address of a specified</span>
<span class="c1"># kernel networking device.</span>
<span class="k">[[Backbone Listener]]</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">type</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">BackboneInterface</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">prefer_ipv6</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">device</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">eth0</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">port</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">4242</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>To use the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">BackboneInterface</span></code> over <a class="reference external" href="https://yggdrasil-network.github.io/">Yggdrasil</a>, you
can simply specify the Yggdrasil <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">tun</span></code> device and a listening port, like so:</p>
<div class="highlight-ini notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># This example demonstrates a backbone interface</span>
<span class="c1"># listening for connections over Yggdrasil.</span>
<span class="k">[[Yggdrasil Backbone Interface]]</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">type</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">BackboneInterface</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">device</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">tun0</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">port</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">4343</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
</section>
<section id="connecting-remotes">
<h3>Connecting Remotes<a class="headerlink" href="#connecting-remotes" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
<p>The following examples illustrates various ways to connect to remote <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">BackboneInterface</span></code> listeners.
As noted above, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">BackboneInterface</span></code> interfaces can also connect to remote <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">TCPServerInterface</span></code>,
and as such these interface types can be used interchangably.</p>
<div class="highlight-ini notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># Here&#39;s an example of a backbone interface that</span>
<span class="c1"># connects to a remote listener.</span>
<span class="k">[[Backbone Remote]]</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">type</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">BackboneInterface</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">remote</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">amsterdam.connect.reticulum.network</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">target_port</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">4251</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>To connect to remotes over <a class="reference external" href="https://yggdrasil-network.github.io/">Yggdrasil</a>, simply
specify the target Yggdrasil IPv6 address and port, like so:</p>
<div class="highlight-ini notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="k">[[Yggdrasil Remote]]</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="na">type</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">BackboneInterface</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="na">target_host</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">201:5d78:af73:5caf:a4de:a79f:3278:71e5</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="na">target_port</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">4343</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
</section>
</section>
<section id="tcp-server-interface">
<span id="interfaces-tcps"></span><h2>TCP Server Interface<a class="headerlink" href="#tcp-server-interface" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>The TCP Server interface is suitable for allowing other peers to connect over
the Internet or private IPv4 and IPv6 networks. When a TCP server interface has been
configured, other Reticulum peers can connect to it with a TCP Client interface.</p>
<div class="highlight-ini notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># This example demonstrates a TCP server interface.</span>
<span class="c1"># It will listen for incoming connections on all IP</span>
<span class="c1"># interfaces on port 4242.</span>
<span class="k">[[TCP Server Interface]]</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">type</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">TCPServerInterface</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">listen_ip</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">0.0.0.0</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">listen_port</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">4242</span>

<span class="c1"># Alternatively you can bind to a specific IP</span>
<span class="k">[[TCP Server Interface]]</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">type</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">TCPServerInterface</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">listen_ip</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">10.0.0.88</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">listen_port</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">4242</span>

<span class="c1"># Or a specific network device</span>
<span class="k">[[TCP Server Interface]]</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">type</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">TCPServerInterface</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">device</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">eth0</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">listen_port</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">4242</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>If you are using the interface on a device which has both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses available,
you can use the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">prefer_ipv6</span></code> option to bind to the IPv6 address:</p>
<div class="highlight-ini notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># This example demonstrates a TCP server interface.</span>
<span class="c1"># It will listen for incoming connections on the</span>
<span class="c1"># specified IP address and port number.</span>

<span class="k">[[TCP Server Interface]]</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">type</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">TCPServerInterface</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">prefer_ipv6</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">True</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">device</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">eth0</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">port</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">4242</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>To use the TCP Server Interface over <a class="reference external" href="https://yggdrasil-network.github.io/">Yggdrasil</a>, you
can simply specify the Yggdrasil <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">tun</span></code> device and a listening port, like so:</p>
<div class="highlight-ini notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="k">[[Yggdrasil TCP Server Interface]]</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">type</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">TCPServerInterface</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">device</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">tun0</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">listen_port</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">4343</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<div class="admonition note">
<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
<p>The TCP interfaces support tunneling over I2P, but to do so reliably,
you must use the i2p_tunneled option:</p>
</div>
<div class="highlight-default notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="p">[[</span><span class="n">TCP</span> <span class="n">Server</span> <span class="n">on</span> <span class="n">I2P</span><span class="p">]]</span>
  <span class="nb">type</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">TCPServerInterface</span>
  <span class="n">enabled</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">yes</span>
  <span class="n">listen_ip</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="mf">127.0.0.1</span>
  <span class="n">listen_port</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="mi">5001</span>
  <span class="n">i2p_tunneled</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">yes</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>In almost all cases, it is easier to use the dedicated <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">I2PInterface</span></code>, but for complete
control, and using I2P routers running on external systems, this option also exists.</p>
</section>
<section id="tcp-client-interface">
<span id="interfaces-tcpc"></span><h2>TCP Client Interface<a class="headerlink" href="#tcp-client-interface" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>To connect to a TCP server interface, you can use the TCP client
interface. Many TCP Client interfaces from different peers can connect to the
same TCP Server interface at the same time.</p>
<p>The TCP interface types can also tolerate intermittency in the IP link layer.
This means that Reticulum will gracefully handle IP links that go up and down,
and restore connectivity after a failure, once the other end of a TCP interface reappears.</p>
<div class="highlight-ini notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># Here&#39;s an example of a TCP Client interface. The</span>
<span class="c1"># target_host can be a hostname or an IPv4 or IPv6 address.</span>
<span class="k">[[TCP Client Interface]]</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">type</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">TCPClientInterface</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">target_host</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">127.0.0.1</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">target_port</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">4242</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>To use the TCP Client Interface over <a class="reference external" href="https://yggdrasil-network.github.io/">Yggdrasil</a>, simply
specify the target Yggdrasil IPv6 address and port, like so:</p>
<div class="highlight-ini notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="k">[[Yggdrasil TCP Client Interface]]</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="na">type</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">TCPClientInterface</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="na">target_host</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">201:5d78:af73:5caf:a4de:a79f:3278:71e5</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="na">target_port</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">4343</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>It is also possible to use this interface type to connect via other programs
or hardware devices that expose a KISS interface on a TCP port, for example
software-based soundmodems. To do this, use the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">kiss_framing</span></code> option:</p>
<div class="highlight-ini notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># Here&#39;s an example of a TCP Client interface that connects</span>
<span class="c1"># to a software TNC soundmodem on a KISS over TCP port.</span>

<span class="k">[[TCP KISS Interface]]</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">type</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">TCPClientInterface</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">kiss_framing</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">True</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">target_host</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">127.0.0.1</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">target_port</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">8001</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p><strong>Caution!</strong> Only use the KISS framing option when connecting to external devices
and programs like soundmodems and similar over TCP. When using the
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">TCPClientInterface</span></code> in conjunction with the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">TCPServerInterface</span></code> you should
never enable <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">kiss_framing</span></code>, since this will disable internal reliability and
recovery mechanisms that greatly improves performance over unreliable and
intermittent TCP links.</p>
<div class="admonition note">
<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
<p>The TCP interfaces support tunneling over I2P, but to do so reliably,
you must use the i2p_tunneled option:</p>
</div>
<div class="highlight-ini notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="k">[[TCP Client over I2P]]</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="na">type</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">TCPClientInterface</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="na">target_host</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">127.0.0.1</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="na">target_port</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">5001</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="na">i2p_tunneled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
</section>
<section id="udp-interface">
<span id="interfaces-udp"></span><h2>UDP Interface<a class="headerlink" href="#udp-interface" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>A UDP interface can be useful for communicating over IP networks, both
private and the internet. It can also allow broadcast communication
over IP networks, so it can provide an easy way to enable connectivity
with all other peers on a local area network.</p>
<div class="admonition warning">
<p class="admonition-title">Warning</p>
<p>Using broadcast UDP traffic has performance implications,
especially on WiFi. If your goal is simply to enable easy communication
with all peers in your local Ethernet broadcast domain, the
<a class="reference internal" href="#interfaces-auto"><span class="std std-ref">Auto Interface</span></a> performs <em>much</em> better, and is even
easier to use.</p>
</div>
<div class="highlight-ini notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># This example enables communication with other</span>
<span class="c1"># local Reticulum peers over UDP.</span>

<span class="k">[[UDP Interface]]</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">type</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">UDPInterface</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">listen_ip</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">0.0.0.0</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">listen_port</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">4242</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">forward_ip</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">255.255.255.255</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">forward_port</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">4242</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># The above configuration will allow communication</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># within the local broadcast domains of all local</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># IP interfaces.</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Instead of specifying listen_ip, listen_port,</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># forward_ip and forward_port, you can also bind</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># to a specific network device like below.</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># device = eth0</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># port = 4242</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Assuming the eth0 device has the address</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># 10.55.0.72/24, the above configuration would</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># be equivalent to the following manual setup.</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Note that we are both listening and forwarding to</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># the broadcast address of the network segments.</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># listen_ip = 10.55.0.255</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># listen_port = 4242</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># forward_ip = 10.55.0.255</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># forward_port = 4242</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># You can of course also communicate only with</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># a single IP address</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># listen_ip = 10.55.0.15</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># listen_port = 4242</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># forward_ip = 10.55.0.16</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># forward_port = 4242</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
</section>
<section id="i2p-interface">
<span id="interfaces-i2p"></span><h2>I2P Interface<a class="headerlink" href="#i2p-interface" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>The I2P interface lets you connect Reticulum instances over the
<a class="reference external" href="https://i2pd.website">Invisible Internet Protocol</a>. This can be
especially useful in cases where you want to host a globally reachable
Reticulum instance, but do not have access to any public IP addresses,
have a frequently changing IP address, or have firewalls blocking
inbound traffic.</p>
<p>Using the I2P interface, you will get a globally reachable, portable
and persistent I2P address that your Reticulum instance can be reached
at.</p>
<p>To use the I2P interface, you must have an I2P router running
on your system. The easiest way to achieve this is to download and
install the <a class="reference external" href="https://github.com/PurpleI2P/i2pd/releases/latest">latest release</a>
of the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">i2pd</span></code> package. For more details about I2P, see the
<a class="reference external" href="https://geti2p.net/en/about/intro">geti2p.net website</a>.</p>
<p>When an I2P router is running on your system, you can simply add
an I2P interface to Reticulum:</p>
<div class="highlight-ini notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="k">[[I2P]]</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">type</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">I2PInterface</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">connectable</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>On the first start, Reticulum will generate a new I2P address for the
interface and start listening for inbound traffic on it. This can take
a while the first time, especially if your I2P router was also just
started, and is not yet well-connected to the I2P network. When ready,
you should see I2P base32 address printed to your log file. You can
also inspect the status of the interface using the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">rnstatus</span></code> utility.</p>
<p>To connect to other Reticulum instances over I2P, just add a comma-separated
list of I2P base32 addresses to the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">peers</span></code> option of the interface:</p>
<div class="highlight-ini notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="k">[[I2P]]</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">type</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">I2PInterface</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">connectable</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">peers</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">5urvjicpzi7q3ybztsef4i5ow2aq4soktfj7zedz53s47r54jnqq.b32.i2p</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>It can take anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes to establish
I2P connections to the desired peers, so Reticulum handles the process
in the background, and will output relevant events to the log.</p>
<div class="admonition note">
<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
<p>While the I2P interface is the simplest way to use
Reticulum over I2P, it is also possible to tunnel the TCP server and
client interfaces over I2P manually. This can be useful in situations
where more control is needed, but requires manual tunnel setup through
the I2P daemon configuration.</p>
</div>
<p>It is important to note that the two methods are <em>interchangably compatible</em>.
You can use the I2PInterface to connect to a TCPServerInterface that
was manually tunneled over I2P, for example. This offers a high degree
of flexibility in network setup, while retaining ease of use in simpler
use-cases.</p>
</section>
<section id="rnode-lora-interface">
<span id="interfaces-rnode"></span><h2>RNode LoRa Interface<a class="headerlink" href="#rnode-lora-interface" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>To use Reticulum over LoRa, the <a class="reference external" href="https://unsigned.io/rnode/">RNode</a> interface
can be used, and offers full control over LoRa parameters.</p>
<div class="admonition warning">
<p class="admonition-title">Warning</p>
<p>Radio frequency spectrum is a legally controlled resource, and legislation
varies widely around the world. It is your responsibility to be aware of any
relevant regulation for your location, and to make decisions accordingly.</p>
</div>
<div class="highlight-ini notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># Here&#39;s an example of how to add a LoRa interface</span>
<span class="c1"># using the RNode LoRa transceiver.</span>

<span class="k">[[RNode LoRa Interface]]</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">type</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">RNodeInterface</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Enable interface if you want use it!</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Serial port for the device</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">port</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">/dev/ttyUSB0</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># You can connect wirelessly to the</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># RNode device if it supports WiFi.</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Connect by IP address</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># port = tcp://10.0.0.1</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Or, connect by hostname</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># port = tcp://rnodef3b9.local</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># It is also possible to use BLE devices</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># instead of wired serial ports. The</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># target RNode must be paired with the</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># host device before connecting. BLE</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># devices can be connected by name,</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># BLE MAC address or by any available.</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Connect to specific device by name</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># port = ble://RNode 3B87</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Or by BLE MAC address</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># port = ble://F4:12:73:29:4E:89</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Or connect to the first available,</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># paired device</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># port = ble://</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Set frequency to 867.2 MHz</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">frequency</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">867200000</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Set LoRa bandwidth to 125 KHz</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">bandwidth</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">125000</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Set TX power to 7 dBm (5 mW)</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">txpower</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">7</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Select spreading factor 8. Valid</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># range is 7 through 12, with 7</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># being the fastest and 12 having</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># the longest range.</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">spreadingfactor</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">8</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Select coding rate 5. Valid range</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># is 5 throough 8, with 5 being the</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># fastest, and 8 the longest range.</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">codingrate</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">5</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># You can configure the RNode to send</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># out identification on the channel with</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># a set interval by configuring the</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># following two parameters.</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># id_callsign = MYCALL-0</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># id_interval = 600</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># For certain homebrew RNode interfaces</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># with low amounts of RAM, using packet</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># flow control can be useful. By default</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># it is disabled.</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># flow_control = False</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># It is possible to limit the airtime</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># utilisation of an RNode by using the</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># following two configuration options.</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># The short-term limit is applied in a</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># window of approximately 15 seconds,</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># and the long-term limit is enforced</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># over a rolling 60 minute window. Both</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># options are specified in percent.</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># airtime_limit_long = 1.5</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># airtime_limit_short = 33</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
</section>
<section id="rnode-multi-interface">
<span id="interfaces-rnode-multi"></span><h2>RNode Multi Interface<a class="headerlink" href="#rnode-multi-interface" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>For RNodes that support multiple LoRa transceivers, the RNode
Multi interface can be used to configure sub-interfaces individually.</p>
<div class="admonition warning">
<p class="admonition-title">Warning</p>
<p>Radio frequency spectrum is a legally controlled resource, and legislation
varies widely around the world. It is your responsibility to be aware of any
relevant regulation for your location, and to make decisions accordingly.</p>
</div>
<div class="highlight-ini notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="c1"># Here&#39;s an example of how to add an RNode Multi interface</span>
<span class="c1"># using the RNode LoRa transceiver.</span>

<span class="k">[[RNode Multi Interface]]</span>
<span class="na">type</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">RNodeMultiInterface</span>

<span class="c1"># Enable interface if you want to use it!</span>
<span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>

<span class="c1"># Serial port for the device</span>
<span class="na">port</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">/dev/ttyACM0</span>

<span class="c1"># You can configure the RNode to send</span>
<span class="c1"># out identification on the channel with</span>
<span class="c1"># a set interval by configuring the</span>
<span class="c1"># following two parameters.</span>

<span class="c1"># id_callsign = MYCALL-0</span>
<span class="c1"># id_interval = 600</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># A subinterface</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="k">[[[High Datarate]]]</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># Subinterfaces can be enabled and disabled in of themselves</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>

<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># Set frequency to 2.4GHz</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="na">frequency</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">2400000000</span>

<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># Set LoRa bandwidth to 1625 KHz</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="na">bandwidth</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">1625000</span>

<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># Set TX power to 0 dBm (0.12 mW)</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="na">txpower</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">0</span>

<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># The virtual port, only the manufacturer</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># or the person who wrote the board config</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># can tell you what it will be for which</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># physical hardware interface</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="na">vport</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">1</span>

<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># Select spreading factor 5. Valid</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># range is 5 through 12, with 5</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># being the fastest and 12 having</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># the longest range.</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="na">spreadingfactor</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">5</span>

<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># Select coding rate 5. Valid range</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># is 5 throough 8, with 5 being the</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># fastest, and 8 the longest range.</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="na">codingrate</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">5</span>

<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># It is possible to limit the airtime</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># utilisation of an RNode by using the</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># following two configuration options.</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># The short-term limit is applied in a</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># window of approximately 15 seconds,</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># and the long-term limit is enforced</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># over a rolling 60 minute window. Both</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># options are specified in percent.</span>

<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># airtime_limit_long = 100</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># airtime_limit_short = 100</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="k">[[[Low Datarate]]]</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># Subinterfaces can be enabled and disabled in of themselves</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>

<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># Set frequency to 865.6 MHz</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="na">frequency</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">865600000</span>

<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># The virtual port, only the manufacturer</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># or the person who wrote the board config</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># can tell you what it will be for which</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># physical hardware interface</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="na">vport</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">0</span>

<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># Set LoRa bandwidth to 125 KHz</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="na">bandwidth</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">125000</span>

<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># Set TX power to 0 dBm (0.12 mW)</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="na">txpower</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">0</span>

<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># Select spreading factor 7. Valid</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># range is 5 through 12, with 5</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># being the fastest and 12 having</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># the longest range.</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="na">spreadingfactor</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">7</span>

<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># Select coding rate 5. Valid range</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># is 5 throough 8, with 5 being the</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># fastest, and 8 the longest range.</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="na">codingrate</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">5</span>

<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># It is possible to limit the airtime</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># utilisation of an RNode by using the</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># following two configuration options.</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># The short-term limit is applied in a</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># window of approximately 15 seconds,</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># and the long-term limit is enforced</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># over a rolling 60 minute window. Both</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># options are specified in percent.</span>

<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># airtime_limit_long = 100</span>
<span class="w">    </span><span class="c1"># airtime_limit_short = 100</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
</section>
<section id="serial-interface">
<span id="interfaces-serial"></span><h2>Serial Interface<a class="headerlink" href="#serial-interface" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>Reticulum can be used over serial ports directly, or over any device with a
serial port, that will transparently pass data. Useful for communicating
directly over a wire-pair, or for using devices such as data radios and lasers.</p>
<div class="highlight-ini notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="k">[[Serial Interface]]</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">type</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">SerialInterface</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Serial port for the device</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">port</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">/dev/ttyUSB0</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Set the serial baud-rate and other</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># configuration parameters.</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">speed</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">115200</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">databits</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">8</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">parity</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">none</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">stopbits</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">1</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
</section>
<section id="pipe-interface">
<span id="interfaces-pipe"></span><h2>Pipe Interface<a class="headerlink" href="#pipe-interface" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>Using this interface, Reticulum can use any program as an interface via <cite>stdin</cite> and
<cite>stdout</cite>. This can be used to easily create virtual interfaces, or to interface with
custom hardware or other systems.</p>
<div class="highlight-ini notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="k">[[Pipe Interface]]</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">type</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">PipeInterface</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># External command to execute</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">command</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">netcat -l 5757</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Optional respawn delay, in seconds</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">respawn_delay</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">5</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>Reticulum will write all packets to <cite>stdin</cite> of the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">command</span></code> option, and will
continuously read and scan its <cite>stdout</cite> for Reticulum packets. If <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">EOF</span></code> is reached,
Reticulum will try to respawn the program after waiting for <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">respawn_interval</span></code> seconds.</p>
</section>
<section id="kiss-interface">
<span id="interfaces-kiss"></span><h2>KISS Interface<a class="headerlink" href="#kiss-interface" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>With the KISS interface, you can use Reticulum over a variety of packet
radio modems and TNCs, including <a class="reference external" href="https://unsigned.io/openmodem/">OpenModem</a>.
KISS interfaces can also be configured to periodically send out beacons
for station identification purposes.</p>
<div class="admonition warning">
<p class="admonition-title">Warning</p>
<p>Radio frequency spectrum is a legally controlled resource, and legislation
varies widely around the world. It is your responsibility to be aware of any
relevant regulation for your location, and to make decisions accordingly.</p>
</div>
<div class="highlight-ini notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="k">[[Packet Radio KISS Interface]]</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">type</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">KISSInterface</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Serial port for the device</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">port</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">/dev/ttyUSB1</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Set the serial baud-rate and other</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># configuration parameters.</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">speed</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">115200</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">databits</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">8</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">parity</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">none</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">stopbits</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">1</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Set the modem preamble.</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">preamble</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">150</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Set the modem TX tail.</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">txtail</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">10</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Configure CDMA parameters. These</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># settings are reasonable defaults.</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">persistence</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">200</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">slottime</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">20</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># You can configure the interface to send</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># out identification on the channel with</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># a set interval by configuring the</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># following two parameters. The KISS</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># interface will only ID if the set</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># interval has elapsed since it&#39;s last</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># actual transmission. The interval is</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># configured in seconds.</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># This option is commented out and not</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># used by default.</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># id_callsign = MYCALL-0</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># id_interval = 600</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Whether to use KISS flow-control.</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># This is useful for modems that have</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># a small internal packet buffer, but</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># support packet flow control instead.</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">flow_control</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">false</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
</section>
<section id="ax-25-kiss-interface">
<span id="interfaces-ax25"></span><h2>AX.25 KISS Interface<a class="headerlink" href="#ax-25-kiss-interface" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>If you’re using Reticulum on amateur radio spectrum, you might want to
use the AX.25 KISS interface. This way, Reticulum will automatically
encapsulate it’s traffic in AX.25 and also identify your stations
transmissions with your callsign and SSID.</p>
<p>Only do this if you really need to! Reticulum doesn’t need the AX.25
layer for anything, and it incurs extra overhead on every packet to
encapsulate in AX.25.</p>
<p>A more efficient way is to use the plain KISS interface with the
beaconing functionality described above.</p>
<div class="admonition warning">
<p class="admonition-title">Warning</p>
<p>Radio frequency spectrum is a legally controlled resource, and legislation
varies widely around the world. It is your responsibility to be aware of any
relevant regulation for your location, and to make decisions accordingly.</p>
</div>
<div class="highlight-ini notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="k">[[Packet Radio AX.25 KISS Interface]]</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">type</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">AX25KISSInterface</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Set the station callsign and SSID</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">callsign</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">NO1CLL</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">ssid</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">0</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Enable interface if you want use it!</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">enabled</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">yes</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Serial port for the device</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">port</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">/dev/ttyUSB2</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Set the serial baud-rate and other</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># configuration parameters.</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">speed</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">115200</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">databits</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">8</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">parity</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">none</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">stopbits</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">1</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Set the modem preamble. A 150ms</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># preamble should be a reasonable</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># default, but may need to be</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># increased for radios with slow-</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># opening squelch and long TX/RX</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># turnaround</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">preamble</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">150</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Set the modem TX tail. In most</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># cases this should be kept as low</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># as possible to not waste airtime.</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">txtail</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">10</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Configure CDMA parameters. These</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># settings are reasonable defaults.</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">persistence</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">200</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">slottime</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">20</span>

<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># Whether to use KISS flow-control.</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># This is useful for modems with a</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="c1"># small internal packet buffer.</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="na">flow_control</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">=</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">false</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
</section>
<section id="common-interface-options">
<span id="interfaces-options"></span><h2>Common Interface Options<a class="headerlink" href="#common-interface-options" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>A number of general configuration options are available on most interfaces.
These can be used to control various aspects of interface behaviour.</p>
<blockquote>
<div><ul>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">enabled</span></code> option tells Reticulum whether or not
to bring up the interface. Defaults to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">False</span></code>. For any
interface to be brought up, the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">enabled</span></code> option
must be set to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">True</span></code> or <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">Yes</span></code>.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">mode</span></code> option allows selecting the high-level behaviour
of the interface from a number of options.</div>
</div>
<blockquote>
<div><ul class="simple">
<li><p>The default value is <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">full</span></code>. In this mode, all discovery,
meshing and transport functionality is available.</p></li>
<li><p>In the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">access_point</span></code> (or shorthand <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ap</span></code>) mode, the
interface will operate as a network access point. In this
mode, announces will not be automatically broadcasted on
the interface, and paths to destinations on the interface
will have a much shorter expiry time. This mode is useful
for creating interfaces that are mostly quiet, unless when
someone is actually using them. An example of this could
be a radio interface serving a wide area, where users are
expected to connect momentarily, use the network, and then
disappear again.</p></li>
</ul>
</div></blockquote>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">outgoing</span></code> option sets whether an interface is allowed
to transmit. Defaults to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">True</span></code>. If set to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">False</span></code> or <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">No</span></code>
the interface will only receive data, and never transmit.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">network_name</span></code> option sets the virtual network name for
the interface. This allows multiple separate network segments
to exist on the same physical channel or medium.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">passphrase</span></code> option sets an authentication passphrase on
the interface. This option can be used in conjunction with the
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">network_name</span></code> option, or be used alone.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ifac_size</span></code> option allows customising the length of the
Interface Authentication Codes carried by each packet on named
and/or authenticated network segments. It is set by default to
a size suitable for the interface in question, but can be set
to a custom size between 8 and 512 bits by using this option.
In normal usage, this option should not be changed from the
default.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">announce_cap</span></code> option lets you configure the maximum
bandwidth to allocate, at any given time, to propagating
announces and other network upkeep traffic. It is configured at
2% by default, and should normally not need to be changed. Can
be set to any value between <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">1</span></code> and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">100</span></code>.</div>
</div>
<blockquote>
<div><p><em>If an interface exceeds its announce cap, it will queue announces
for later transmission. Reticulum will always prioritise propagating
announces from nearby nodes first. This ensures that the local
topology is prioritised, and that slow networks are not overwhelmed
by interconnected fast networks.</em></p>
<p><em>Destinations that are rapidly re-announcing will be down-prioritised
further. Trying to get “first-in-line” by announce spamming will have
the exact opposite effect: Getting moved to the back of the queue every
time a new announce from the excessively announcing destination is received.</em></p>
<p><em>This means that it is always beneficial to select a balanced
announce rate, and not announce more often than is actually necesarry
for your application to function.</em></p>
</div></blockquote>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">bitrate</span></code> option configures the interface bitrate.
Reticulum will use interface speeds reported by hardware, or
try to guess a suitable rate when the hardware doesn’t report
any. In most cases, the automatically found rate should be
sufficient, but it can be configured by using the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">bitrate</span></code>
option, to set the interface speed in <em>bits per second</em>.</div>
</div>
</li>
</ul>
</div></blockquote>
</section>
<section id="interface-modes">
<span id="interfaces-modes"></span><h2>Interface Modes<a class="headerlink" href="#interface-modes" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>The optional <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">mode</span></code> setting is available on all interfaces, and allows
selecting the high-level behaviour of the interface from a number of modes.
These modes affect how Reticulum selects paths in the network, how announces
are propagated, how long paths are valid and how paths are discovered.</p>
<p>Configuring modes on interfaces is <strong>not</strong> strictly necessary, but can be useful
when building or connecting to more complex networks. If your Reticulum
instance is not running a Transport Node, it is rarely useful to configure
interface modes, and in such cases interfaces should generally be left in
the default mode.</p>
<blockquote>
<div><ul>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The default mode is <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">full</span></code>. In this mode, all discovery,
meshing and transport functionality is activated.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">gateway</span></code> mode (or shorthand <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">gw</span></code>) also has all
discovery, meshing and transport functionality available,
but will additionally try to discover unknown paths on
behalf of other nodes residing on the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">gateway</span></code> interface.
If Reticulum receives a path request for an unknown
destination, from a node on a <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">gateway</span></code> interface, it
will try to discover this path via all other active interfaces,
and forward the discovered path to the requestor if one is
found.</div>
</div>
<div class="line-block">
<div class="line">If you want to allow other nodes to widely resolve paths or connect
to a network via an interface, it might be useful to put it in this
mode. By creating a chain of <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">gateway</span></code> interfaces, other
nodes will be able to immediately discover paths to any
destination along the chain.</div>
</div>
<div class="line-block">
<div class="line"><em>Please note!</em> It is the interface <em>facing the clients</em> that
must be put into <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">gateway</span></code> mode for this to work, not
the interface facing the wider network (for this, the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">boundary</span></code>
mode can be useful, though).</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">In the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">access_point</span></code> (or shorthand <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ap</span></code>) mode, the
interface will operate as a network access point. In this
mode, announces will not be automatically broadcasted on
the interface, and paths to destinations on the interface
will have a much shorter expiry time. In addition, path
requests from clients on the access point interface will
be handled in the same way as the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">gateway</span></code> interface.</div>
</div>
<div class="line-block">
<div class="line">This mode is useful for creating interfaces that remain
quiet, until someone actually starts using them. An example
of this could be a radio interface serving a wide area,
where users are expected to connect momentarily, use the
network, and then disappear again.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">roaming</span></code> mode should be used on interfaces that are
roaming (physically mobile), seen from the perspective of
other nodes in the network. As an example, if a vehicle is
equipped with an external LoRa interface, and an internal,
WiFi-based interface, that serves devices that are moving
<em>with</em> the vehicle, the external LoRa interface should be
configured as <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">roaming</span></code>, and the internal interface can
be left in the default mode. With transport enabled, such
a setup will allow all internal devices to reach each other,
and all other devices that are available on the LoRa side
of the network, when they are in range. Devices on the LoRa
side of the network will also be able to reach devices
internal to the vehicle, when it is in range. Paths via
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">roaming</span></code> interfaces also expire faster.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The purpose of the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">boundary</span></code> mode is to specify interfaces
that establish connectivity with network segments that are
significantly different than the one this node exists on.
As an example, if a Reticulum instance is part of a LoRa-based
network, but also has a high-speed connection to a
public Transport Node available on the Internet, the interface
connecting over the Internet should be set to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">boundary</span></code> mode.</div>
</div>
</li>
</ul>
</div></blockquote>
<p>For a table describing the impact of all modes on announce propagation,
please see the <a class="reference internal" href="understanding.html#understanding-announcepropagation"><span class="std std-ref">Announce Propagation Rules</span></a> section.</p>
</section>
<section id="announce-rate-control">
<span id="interfaces-announcerates"></span><h2>Announce Rate Control<a class="headerlink" href="#announce-rate-control" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>The built-in announce control mechanisms and the default <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">announce_cap</span></code>
option described above are sufficient most of the time, but in some cases, especially on fast
interfaces, it may be useful to control the target announce rate. Using the
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">announce_rate_target</span></code>, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">announce_rate_grace</span></code> and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">announce_rate_penalty</span></code>
options, this can be done on a per-interface basis, and moderates the <em>rate at
which received announces are re-broadcasted to other interfaces</em>.</p>
<blockquote>
<div><ul>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">announce_rate_target</span></code> option sets the minimum amount of time,
in seconds, that should pass between received announces, for any one
destination. As an example, setting this value to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">3600</span></code> means that
announces <em>received</em> on this interface will only be re-transmitted and
propagated to other interfaces once every hour, no matter how often they
are received.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The optional <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">announce_rate_grace</span></code> defines the number of times a destination
can violate the announce rate before the target rate is enforced.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The optional <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">announce_rate_penalty</span></code> configures an extra amount of
time that is added to the normal rate target. As an example, if a penalty
of <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">7200</span></code> seconds is defined, once the rate target is enforced, the
destination in question will only have its announces propagated every
3 hours, until it lowers its actual announce rate to within the target.</div>
</div>
</li>
</ul>
</div></blockquote>
<p>These mechanisms, in conjunction with the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">annouce_cap</span></code> mechanisms mentioned
above means that it is essential to select a balanced announce strategy for
your destinations. The more balanced you can make this decision, the easier
it will be for your destinations to make it into slower networks that many hops
away. Or you can prioritise only reaching high-capacity networks with more frequent
announces.</p>
<p>Current statistics and information about announce rates can be viewed using the
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">rnpath</span> <span class="pre">-r</span></code> command.</p>
<p>It is important to note that there is no one right or wrong way to set up announce
rates. Slower networks will naturally tend towards using less frequent announces to
conserve bandwidth, while very fast networks can support applications that
need very frequent announces. Reticulum implements these mechanisms to ensure
that a large span of network types can seamlessly <em>co-exist</em> and interconnect.</p>
</section>
<section id="new-destination-rate-limiting">
<span id="interfaces-ingress-control"></span><h2>New Destination Rate Limiting<a class="headerlink" href="#new-destination-rate-limiting" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>On public interfaces, where anyone may connect and announce new destinations,
it can be useful to control the rate at which announces for <em>new</em>  destinations are
processed.</p>
<p>If a large influx of announces for newly created or previously unknown destinations
occur within a short amount of time, Reticulum will place these announces on hold,
so that announce traffic for known and previously established destinations can
continue to be processed without interruptions.</p>
<p>After the burst subsides, and an additional waiting period has passed, the held
announces will be released at a slow rate, until the hold queue is cleared. This
also means, that should a node decide to connect to a public interface, announce
a large amount of bogus destinations, and then disconnect, these destination will
never make it into path tables and waste network bandwidth on retransmitted
announces.</p>
<p><strong>It’s important to note</strong> that the ingress control works at the level of <em>individual
sub-interfaces</em>. As an example, this means that one client on a <a class="reference internal" href="#interfaces-tcps"><span class="std std-ref">TCP Server Interface</span></a>
cannot disrupt processing of incoming announces for other connected clients on the same
<a class="reference internal" href="#interfaces-tcps"><span class="std std-ref">TCP Server Interface</span></a>. All other clients on the same interface will still have new announces
processed without interruption.</p>
<p>By default, Reticulum will handle this automatically, and ingress announce
control will be enabled on interface where it is sensible to do so. It should
generally not be neccessary to modify the ingress control configuration,
but all the parameters are exposed for configuration if needed.</p>
<blockquote>
<div><ul>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ingress_control</span></code> option tells Reticulum whether or not
to enable announce ingress control on the interface. Defaults to
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">True</span></code>.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ic_new_time</span></code> option configures how long (in seconds) an
interface is considered newly spawned. Defaults to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">2*60*60</span></code> seconds. This
option is useful on publicly accessible interfaces that spawn new
sub-interfaces when a new client connects.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ic_burst_freq_new</span></code> option sets the maximum announce ingress
frequency for newly spawned interfaces. Defaults to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">3.5</span></code>
announces per second.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ic_burst_freq</span></code> option sets the maximum announce ingress
frequency for other interfaces. Defaults to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">12</span></code> announces
per second.</div>
</div>
<blockquote>
<div><p><em>If an interface exceeds its burst frequency, incoming announces
for unknown destinations will be temporarily held in a queue, and
not processed until later.</em></p>
</div></blockquote>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ic_max_held_announces</span></code> option sets the maximum amount of
unique announces that will be held in the queue. Any additional
unique announces will be dropped. Defaults to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">256</span></code> announces.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ic_burst_hold</span></code> option sets how much time (in seconds) must
pass after the burst frequency drops below its threshold, for the
announce burst to be considered cleared. Defaults to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">60</span></code>
seconds.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ic_burst_penalty</span></code> option sets how much time (in seconds) must
pass after the burst is considered cleared, before held announces can
start being released from the queue. Defaults to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">5*60</span></code>
seconds.</div>
</div>
</li>
<li><div class="line-block">
<div class="line">The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ic_held_release_interval</span></code> option sets how much time (in seconds)
must pass between releasing each held announce from the queue. Defaults
to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">30</span></code> seconds.</div>
</div>
</li>
</ul>
</div></blockquote>
</section>
</section>

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<li><a class="reference internal" href="#">Configuring Interfaces</a><ul>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#custom-interfaces">Custom Interfaces</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#auto-interface">Auto Interface</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#backbone-interface">Backbone Interface</a><ul>
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<li><a class="reference internal" href="#udp-interface">UDP Interface</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#i2p-interface">I2P Interface</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#rnode-lora-interface">RNode LoRa Interface</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#rnode-multi-interface">RNode Multi Interface</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#serial-interface">Serial Interface</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#pipe-interface">Pipe Interface</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#kiss-interface">KISS Interface</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#ax-25-kiss-interface">AX.25 KISS Interface</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#common-interface-options">Common Interface Options</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#interface-modes">Interface Modes</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#announce-rate-control">Announce Rate Control</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#new-destination-rate-limiting">New Destination Rate Limiting</a></li>
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